Washington. US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he will not contest the upcoming presidential election. Announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race, Biden said that ‘this is in the best interest of my party and the country.’ Along with this, Biden has also supported Kamala Harris’ candidature from the Democrats for the presidency.
Biden’s (81) decision comes four months before the US vote on November 5. Democratic Party leaders had been pressuring Biden to withdraw from the contest for several weeks after he performed poorly in a debate with his Republican rival and former President Donald Trump in late June, after which he took this decision.
Biden said in a post on ‘X’ that he will remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025 and will address the nation this week.
Biden wrote, “Serving as your President has been the greatest honor of my life. And while I intend to run for re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and country that I step down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the rest of my term.”
Many Democrats at the top level wanted Biden to withdraw from the presidential race in November to pave the way for a new candidate. And now by deciding to withdraw from the presidential race, he has cleared the way for the top post for Vice President Kamala Harris, who could be the first black woman to do so in the country’s history.
Tags: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, US Presidential Election 2024
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 21, 2024, 23:29 IST